Amazon announced a $10 billion investment to build new data centers in North Carolina to expand its AI infrastructure. The project is expected to create approximately 500 jobs and is part of the company's broader capital expenditures on AI projects.

German antitrust authorities have warned Amazon that its pricing controls, which cap product prices and potentially demote listings, may limit market competition by interfering with merchants’ freedom to set prices. Amazon disputes these findings, arguing that altering such practices would harm customers and partners.

The article highlights that Amazon, following a trend seen in Google and OpenAI, is increasingly integrating its cloud platforms, custom chip development, and AI services. This move deepens the company’s control over its technological ecosystem and raises concerns over reduced market competition, opacity, and potential contributions to monopolistic power structures.

Anthropic, which is backed by Amazon, has activated enhanced AI Safety Level 3 controls for its new Claude Opus 4 model to help prevent the technology from being misused in the development of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons. Although the safety measures were implemented by Anthropic, Amazon’s financial backing supports a trend toward more responsible and precautionary use of advanced AI technologies.

After reports emerged that Amazon was considering listing tariff charges on certain products in response to increased tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, the company quickly retracted the idea. Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos confirmed that the pricing change was never approved, indicating a responsiveness to political pressure and a deferral of practices that could harm consumers.

The OpenSecrets profile reveals that Amazon contributed approximately $8.19M in campaign contributions and spent about $19.14M on lobbying during the 2024 cycle, highlighting the company's substantial involvement in influencing political processes.

A Foreign Policy analysis revealed that Amazon, alongside other tech giants, was featured at Trump's inauguration, symbolizing the alignment of major U.S. tech companies with the Trump administration. This association raises concerns about using technological infrastructure for political coercion and undermining global democratic norms.

Following criticism labeling its tariff cost listing as a 'hostile move,' Amazon quickly reversed its decision amid the shifting political dynamics of Trump’s second term. This action indicates the company's susceptibility to pressure from authoritarian influences in the political arena.

OpenSecrets data indicates that Amazon.com spent $19.14 million on lobbying in 2024, highlighting significant corporate attempts to shape U.S. public policy. Such extensive lobbying efforts raise concerns from an anti-fascist perspective, as corporate influence in politics can undermine democratic accountability and potentially foster environments where authoritarian interests prevail.

Reports indicate that migrant workers in Saudi Arabia allege abusive labor practices under Amazon's subcontracted operations. Despite a February 2024 reimbursement initiative amounting to USD 1.9 million for over 700 workers, subsequent investigations in December 2024 revealed that many affected workers never received the promised compensation, highlighting issues of wage theft, deceptive recruitment fees, and inhumane working conditions.

Reports indicate that Amazon contributed $1 million to President Trump's inauguration fund, with Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos attending the swearing-in ceremony. This involvement highlights the company's financial engagement with authoritarian political figures.

In April 2024, Amazon announced plans to develop US$11 billion worth of data centre facilities near Lake Michigan in New Carlisle, IN. This move has raised concerns about environmental sustainability and potential impacts on local Great Lakes communities, who worry about water usage and ecological disruption.

Amazon agreed to pay over $1.9 million to more than 700 migrant contract workers in Saudi Arabia to settle claims of human rights abuses. Investigations, including one by labor rights expert Verité and reports from Amnesty International and other organizations, revealed exploitative recruitment practices, substandard living conditions, and other violations of ethical labor and supply chain standards.

A National Labor Relations Board judge ruled that Amazon illegally interrogated, threatened, and racially disparaged union organizers at its Staten Island warehouse. The ruling found that Amazon confiscated organizing materials, surveilled pro-union employees, and employed anti-union consultants who used derogatory language in an effort to stifle unionization efforts.

Investigations report that Nepali workers at Amazon's Saudi operations faced deceptive recruiting practices, exorbitant fees, unfair wages, and inhumane working conditions under subcontracted labor firms, leading to severe exploitation and hardship.

Amnesty International reported that contracted migrant workers in Amazon's Saudi Arabian warehouses were deceived during recruitment, exploited through withheld wages and deplorable working conditions, and faced retaliation for raising complaints. The report highlights systemic failures in Amazon’s supply chain oversight and labor practices, including potential human trafficking.

Amazon.com, Inc. raised $1,583,307 during the 2023-2024 election cycle as reported by OpenSecrets. The report highlights the company’s use of PAC funds and engagement with former political staffers through public relations firms to influence policy-making.

One year after the historic union victory at an Amazon Staten Island warehouse, the company continues to delay contract negotiations, contesting a federal labor order and effectively obstructing workers' rights to fair collective bargaining.

Federal labor board charges allege that Amazon illegally refused to bargain with a union, disciplined a union leader, and restricted facility access at its New York City warehouse, constituting unfair labor practices. National Labor Relations Board prosecutors found merit in these claims, prompting potential formal action.

In April 2022, Amazon workers at the JFK8 facility in Staten Island voted to unionize but have since been met with aggressive anti-union tactics. The company spent over $14 million on external union-busting consultants, engaged in retaliatory firings, and refused to recognize the union election, thereby undermining workers’ rights and collective bargaining efforts.

Amazon activated its Sidewalk network, an opt-out private network connecting devices like Echo and Ring, which critics argue enhances its surveillance capitalism and deepens ties with law enforcement, raising serious privacy and civil liberties concerns.

Amazon contributed $1.05 million to a business group that endorsed a single Seattle City Council incumbent, an action that appears aimed at swaying local electoral outcomes.

Amazon has partnered with government agencies—including Washington County, OR and the city of Orlando—to deploy its facial recognition technology, Rekognition. This technology is being used in real-time surveillance operations with the potential to target marginalized communities and suppress civil liberties.